An eminently feminine origin ... and a great future.

There are secrets that remain hidden over time and inquiring about them is almost archaeological work. This is the case of the relationship between women and watches, a story - almost a romance - that dates back to the 19th century, but about which little or nothing is known today, since the history of watchmaking has been written and directed by men. The watch , masculine accessory par excellence , has an unquestionably feminine origin . At L'Officiel we review the key points of the emergence of this universal piece.

The first wristwatch , which was not even considered a watch but a bracelet , was designed in 1810 for a queen , Carolina Murat , one of Napoleon Bonaparte's little sisters, who commissioned Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747-1823) to make a mechanism of great complexity mounted on a bracelet made up of hair braided with gold threads. This model is still marketed today. A few years later, in 1869, Patek Philippe made his first wristwatch for a Hungarian aristocrat, Countess Koscowicz . For almost a hundred years , these types of models were considered exclusively female : a real man did not wear the watch on his wrist, but buried in his vest pocket.

The Boer War in South Africa, between 1899 and 1902, precipitated the change: the weather prevented British soldiers from wearing vests and the only place where they could wear a watch was on the wrist. However, prejudices continued to prevail in the world of Haute Horlogerie. It was not until 1904 that the first men's wristwatch model was made (although it was called a "strap watch" to differentiate it from female models). It was designed by Louis Cartier for his friend , the Brazilian millionaire Alberto Santos-Dumont , one of the pioneers of aviation . This type of model began to be considered socially acceptable shortly after the First World War .

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In 1927 , the English swimmer Mercedes Gleitze crossed the English Channel with a Rolex Oyster , which sponsored her feat by being advertised in the Daily Mail with the slogan: "The watch that defies the elements." Shortly after , in 1932 , the American aviator Amelia Earhart crossed the Atlantic with the only company of an Omega chronograph that registered the twelve hours of the journey . She was the first woman to do a solo flight from coast to coast without stopping and the first person to do it twice, all in record time. Both were pioneers who united their names with that of the brands that sponsored them , uniting feminism and advertising . And both succeeded in making the meaning "wristwatch" prevail over "strap watch." Since then, men can also wear a bracelet, and not for that reason be less men; and women pants, without feeling less of a woman.

ETERNAL STATEMENT OF STYLE AND ELEGANCE

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After World War II, Piaget , Jaeger-LeCoultre and Chopard imposed a new, more ornate aesthetic. While technology prevailed in men's watches, in women's watches the design was accentuated with déco echoes. Rolex established itself as a sports brand, while Tiffany & Co. and Cartier opted for maximum luxury. The division between the genders has been accentuated until today. At present, there are women directing the technical departments of houses such as Cartier , Patek Philippe or Chopard compared to those workers who at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th carried the weight of the watch industry - they were more than a third - in the workshops. . «Our clients are true lovers of watchmaking (just like men) who value the beauty of movements above all else. We have noticed that while before the woman who wore a luxury watch used to be a gift, more and more customers with clear and defined expectations and purchase decision in the watchmaking field, "says Jasmine Audemars , chairman of the Board of Directors of Audemars Piguet and a descendant of one of its founders.

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Indeed, women today know what they want. More than ever. Western clients are more inclined towards large models, while in Asia they prefer smaller models. Rose gold remains a favorite, in the words of Claire Choisne , Boucheron's creative director, "because it is more discreet than white or yellow, adds warmth, and blends well with colored gemstones." However, new materials have emerged such as palladium, similar to platinum but lighter, which Cartier uses; and silver, used by Hermès with a 97% alloy mixed with other metals that prevent it from rusting. Diamonds also remain a safe investment in the watchmaking world - "No time passes for a diamond," says Melvyn Kirtley , Head of Gemology at Tiffany & Co. - followed by sapphires, emeralds and rubies in watch frames. -jewel, which represents a return to the origins of this piece, which also knows how to adapt to asphalt with more common materials, such as rubber.

This is the origin of the wristwatch

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